Jayaram Jayalalithaa was one of the tallest political leaders of South India. Popularly known as “Amma” Jayalalithaa was born on February 24, 1948, at Melukote, Pandavapura taluka, Mandya district of then Mysore state, which is now part of Karnataka to Jayaram and Vedavalli (Sandhya) in Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family. The year 2020 marks the 72nd birth anniversary of the stalwart politician. Jayalalithaa Birth Anniversary: Tamil Nadu Minister D Jayakumar Gives Gold Rings to Seven New-Born Babies.

Before joining politics, she was a leading actress of Tamil movies. Jayalalithaa was trained in Carnatic music, western classical piano and various forms of classical dance, including Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Manipuri and Kathak. She started her political career by joining AIADMK in 1982 and served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for six times. Jayalalithaa was credited with launching several welfare schemes for the people of Tamil Nadu. Kangana Ranaut To Play Jayalalithaa in AL Vijay's Biopic on the Politician Titled as 'Thalaivi'?

Here Are Some Interesting Facts About Jayalalithaa:

  • Jayalalithaa played Krishna in a three-minute dance sequence held on stage in the Hindi film Manmauji in 1962.

  • In 1964, she made her debut in Tamil theatre after she played the role of a salesgirl in the drama named Undersecretary.

  • In 1965, she debuted in the Tamil cinema when she played the leading role in Vennira Aadai.

  • She made her debut in Telugu films as a lead actress in the movie Manushulu.

  • Jayalalithaa acted in 28 box-office hit films with MG Ramachandran between 1965 and 1973.

  • The former Tamil Nadu chief minister elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1984 and retained her seat until 1989.

  • Jayalalithaa was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 1989 at the age of 41.

  • After the death of MGR, the AIADMK split into two, and the Jayalalithaa-led faction won 27 seats in the assembly. She was chosen as the leader of the opposition.

  • In 1991, she became chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time. Her party managed to win 225 seats out of 234.

  • She was also elected as chief minister in 2001, 2002, 2011, 2015 and 2016.

  • Three years after becoming chief minister in 2011, Jayalalithaa was convicted in a disproportionate assets case. Thus she was disqualified from holding office. Jayalalithaa 3rd Death Anniversary: Statue of ‘Amma’ Erected Next to AIADMK Founder MG Ramachandran’s Statue at KK Nagar, DMK Wants It Removed.

  • She started several schemes in Tamil Nadu, including Amma canteen, Thalikku thangam thittam or "Gold for marriage" scheme, the cradle baby scheme, providing free laptops to students and Amma insurance.

On September 22, Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai after she complained of infection and acute dehydration. According to reports, On 4, 2016, she was re-admitted to the intensive care unit after suffering a cardiac arrest around 5 pm. The very next day, on December 5, 2016, she was declared dead by the doctors of Apollo Hospitals. Her demise created a huge void in the politics of Tamil Nadu.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 24, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).